KSOM and the California Stem Cell Research Initiative

Dean Brian E. Henderson, M.D., will discuss the School's involvement in the California Stem Cell Research Initiative at receptions to be held in Orange County on March 11th and San Diego on May 13th. Dr. Henderson was recently named as one of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's five appointees to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for stem cell research, created by California's passage of proposition 71. The mandate for the 29-member committee is to govern the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which will administer the $3 billion in stem cell research funding.

For more information, please contact Colin Kaiser at ksomalum@usc.edu
or (323) 442-2392.

KECK SCHOOL ALUMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
J. Mario Molina, M.D. - Class of 1984

J. Mario Molina, M.D., ’84, is President and Chairman of the Board of Molina Healthcare, Inc. His father, C. David Molina, M.D., was an emergency room physician who founded Molina Healthcare, Inc. in 1980 to address the special needs of low-income patients.

Today, Molina Healthcare is the second-largest Hispanic business in California (Hispanic Business Magazine). In addition to its base in California, Molina Healthcare operates in four other states – Washington, Utah, Michigan and New Mexico – and boasts 21 primary care clinics in Northern and Southern California.

J. Mario Molina received his medical degree from USC in 1984, and completed his internship and residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Before joining the world of private industry, Dr. Molina was a budding researcher in the field of diabetes and endocrinology. He has fond memories of professors and mentors during his tenure as both a medical student and a faculty researcher at the Keck School.

Dr. Molina is a member of the American College of Physicians and the Medical and Surgical Association of Johns Hopkins Hospital, and received the Ernst & Young Greater Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002. He also serves on the Board of the New America Alliance, a group of American Latino business leaders; the Council on Legislation of the California Medical Association; the Homeboy Industries Board, the National Medical Fellowship, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Molina and his wife, Therese, are the parents of four children.

Raquel D. Arias, M.D., Class of 1982,
lauded for work on women’s health

The U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Assembly and the County of Los Angeles have honored Raquel D. Arias, Keck School of Medicine associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean for women, for her promotion of women’s health.

All three governmental bodies issued commendations to Arias for her work on the Women’s Health Policy Council, a volunteer group that provides guidance to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Service’s Office of Women’s Health.

more...

KECK SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Todd Larsen - Class of 2005

Todd Larsen, M.D. has been interested in pre-hospital emergency medicine since he was a teenager in Ventura, California. Starting as a California State lifeguard in Malibu, Larsen worked as an EMT on an ambulance, and later in a local emergency department while finishing his pre-med coursework.

Larsen earned his B.A. in English while minoring in Italian from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He attended Case Western Reserve University on a full scholarship and teaching assistantship where he pursued an M.A./Ph.D. in English, but left the program without his degree to pursue his interest in the field of medicine.

A recipient of an ARCS Scholarship and a Salerni Collegium Scholarship, Larsen is applying to emergency medicine residencies. His current project is “A Needs Assessment of Pre-hospital Workers’ Training Skills in honoring Advanced Directives and Death Notification Skills.” He also serves as a teaching assistant for gross anatomy for first year medical students at the Keck School.

“The Keck School offers an amazing entry into the field of medicine, and I am exceedingly grateful that I was able to do most of my clinical rotations at LAC+USC – it’s an excellent training ground for what lies ahead,” says Larson. “The generous financial assistance I received from Salerni Collegium and the ARCS Foundation has allowed me the opportunity to continue my studies without the worry of incurring large private loans.”

Larsen and his wife, Gianna, have one son and another baby due in April 2005.

Scholarship Dinner Makes the Grade!

Salerni Collegium and Medical Faculty Wives and Friends of the Keck School of Medicine hosted a benefit dinner on February 26 to raise money for medical student scholarships and honor several USC luminaries.

The event, held at the Jonathon Club in Los Angeles, recognized the achievements of David Berman, USC distinguished emeritus professor of cell and neurobiology; Allen Mathies Jr., former Keck School dean; Weta Mathies, former president of Medical Faculty Wives and Friends and current president of CARES (Auxiliary of the LAC+USC Medical Center), and Paul H. Toffel, alumnus and former Salerni Collegium president.

The event began with a reception and silent auction and was followed by dinner, live auction and the evening’s program, as well as a performance by the USC Trojan Marching Band.

Approximately 220 attendees thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the event, which raised over $70,000 for critically needed medical student scholarships.

See photos from the event below.